Introduction to Mechanics

Dr Mahendra Verma is of the Indian Institute of Technology, India.

History of Mechanics. Newton’s Laws of Motion. Forces. Kinematics vs. Dynamics. Motion in One Dimension. Phase Space Description of Mechanical Systems. Symmetry Properties of Newton’s Equation. Two-Dimensional Motion; Central Force Problem. Three-Dimensional Mtion. Motion in a Nninertial Reference Frame. Energy. Conservation of Linear Momentum and Centre of Mass. Collisions. Simple Harmonic Motion. Nonlinear Oscillations and Chaos. Waves: Oscillations in Continuous Media. Angular Momentum. Rigid Body Dynamics. Special Theory of Relativity: Kinematics. Relativistic Dynamics. Epilogue. Appendix A: Present Paradigm of Physics and Science. Appendix B: Dimensional Analysis and Estimation. Appendix C: Numerical Solution of Differential Equations. Appendix D: Matlab and Octave. Appendix E: Vectors and Tensors. Appendix F: Vector Operations on Vector and Scalar Fields. Appendix G: Important Astronomical Data. Appendix H: Important Physical Constants. References. Index.